Marine Service Center could get more utilities

A boat lift hauls a 300-ton tug at the Wrangell Marine Service Center in 2014. (Katarina Sostaric/KSTK)

The Wrangell Assembly wants a plan to provide water, sewer and fire hydrants to parts of the municipal Marine Service Center.

Members made the decision at a June 13 meeting after hearing from Don Sorric of Superior Marine Services, which is located at the center.

Sorric said he was promised the utilities when he bid on two leases for his boat-repair business. But nothing happened.

“Every time I ask, nobody knows when or how or if it will ever happen. And I try to be patient, but we’re talking three years here,” he said.

Sorric said the need for a hookup was made clear after a March boat fire caused by welding. He said he keeps a water tank and more than a dozen fire extinguishers on scene. But they weren’t enough.

“What you really need when you’re doing our kind of work is you need unlimited firefighting capacity. You can’t have your fire extinguishers running out or the water hose going dry. Right now, currently, we’re 300 feet from the nearest hydrant, which is a lot of hose and a long time,” he said.

Borough officials estimated extending water and sewer mains to the area would cost $110,000. That did not include direct hookups to Sorric’s and other businesses.

After discussion, assembly members passed a motion asking borough staff to come up with options to resolve the issue and bring them back for review.